High brightness diode lasers with holographic feedback (TOE.5656)

High power diode bars provide a high output power but a degraded output beam quality. The quality is low because the diode bar contains a number of separate emitters that emit independently and interfere with each other. The aim of this project is to construct a laser using a conventional diode bar and a hologram in such a way that the emitters are forced to function coherently with each other such that the power of the diode bar is channeled into a high quality beam.

This research could greatly enhance the applicability of diode lasers due to the improvement in beam quality. For welding and cutting it improves speed and reduces the heat-affected zone. The improved diodes could also replace (diode pumped) fiber lasers for telecommunication applications such as long haul (Raman) amplifiers. They would provide a smaller, cheaper and more efficient source of high brightness light.